EPIC EHR OVERVIEW

Being rated the #1 Overall Software Suite in KLAS, Epic EHR is a powerhouse in the health technology industry. Some of the top EHR solutions, have bought their way into technology. Not Epic. Epic EHR pride themselves in the fact that all of their software is built in-house as opposed through the acquisition of software companies.

With 50% of Epic’s operating expenses invested back in R&D, this employee owned organization is one of the most well-known, long standing solutions in the healthcare space.

WHO USES EPIC EHR?

From hospital to private practices, Epic EHR is widely used in organizations of all sizes, including specialty medical practices. Although, Epic may be better known as the EHR software solution for choice for large provider systems. They boast that “the majority of U.S. News and World Report’s top-ranked hospitals and medical schools use Epic”.

But… Epic EHR is also a great fit for small to mid-sized medical practices. In fact, Epic claims that “more Epic physicians have attested to Meaningful Use Stage 2 than users of any other system.”

If you are a small to mid-sized practice, Epic should definitely be on your short list of EHRs to consider.

EPIC EHR FEATURES

EpicCare Ambulatory EHR Suite is a central solution that provides features that would benefit small to mid-size physician practices including:

Mobile friendly with key apps

Patient engagement like no other EHR

MyChart allows “patients in the hospital can use a tablet to stay in touch with their care team, review their schedule, access personalized patient education materials, and request help.”

Online scheduling

Access to Epic Community

Telemedicine opportunities including its newest addition to Epic MyChart telehealth partnership with American Well.

Care Everywhere – Interoperability with other EHRs

DOES EPIC OFFER PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS?

Epic offers a ton of solutions beyond EpicCare EHR to help your small to mid-sized practice including:

Revenue cycle management

Population health through Healthy Planet

Care management through Tapestry

Patient engagement and more

DOES EPIC OFFER AN EHR FOR SPECIALTY PRACTICES?

Yes, Epic EHR has modules for a variety of specialties. And the modules all have clever names too such as Bones (for Ortho), Stork (for Obstetrics) and Cupid (for Cardiology). Epic provides pre-built content and leverages a community of contributing experts in their specialty field.

WHAT KIND OF TRAINING AND SUPPORT DO THEY OFFER?

During implementation, your practice is assigned a dedicated team to work side-by-side to meet your goals. But the training goes beyond implementation with certification courses, customized training and additional resources.

Typically part of the package, Epic also offers 24-7 support, system monitoring and routine check-ups.

HOW DOES INTEROPERABILITY WORK WITH EPIC SHARE EVERYWHERE?

Having already implemented Care Everywhere interoperability long before Meaningful Use required it, Epic was a frontrunner in offering the technology to communicate with other EHRs, national networks and government organizations.

But this do not solve the issue for physicians who did not have an EHR. Now, through Share Everywhere a physician without an EHR can still access patient data worldwide, with just an internet connection.

WHAT DOES EPIC TOUT AS THEIR VALUE PROPOSITION?

The technology used for Epic EHR is scalable, fast, open and stable.

Epic promotes they were “rated by healthcare providers as the best acute and best ambulatory EMR for physician productivity and effectiveness.”

The awards Epic has received are plentiful. They can also claim that 95% of Stage 7 physicians use Epic, which speaks for itself. Update as of 2019, they now claim 94% of Stage 7 physicians use Epic.

The icing on the cake for choosing Epic is the immense generosity of its founder Judy Faulkner, and what that must say about the company culture she built. In May of 2015 Judy Faulkner signed on to “The Giving Pledge, the initiative launched by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to encourage entrepreneurs to donate more than half of their wealth to charity.” Now that is a feel good story.